London's Got It...

Watch out Stella, Luella, & McQueen… New, fresh and creative designers are taking London by storm. True to the British aesthetic these designers have developed a style all their own. The nontraditional designs give any fashion forward fan something to look forward to. A number of American based retailers such as New York based Opening Ceremony have accepted & supported the next British Invasion…

Aminaka Wilmont

Marcus Wilmont & Maki Aminaka make up the original powerhouse of Aminaka Wilmont & have exploited their strengths & created a stand out product.
This dynamic duo are obsessive about shape & silhouette- the usage of leather & zippers is unique to their sensibility & creates designs & outfits that are not for the faint of heart. Details of YKK zippers on clothing & accessories have become known as the duo’s signature.
The clothing is so ornate & meticulously designed – an editor’s dream, but a production nightmare. Their work has not gone unnoticed by industry luminaries; Aminaka Wilmont, was awarded the Fashion Fringe trophy 2007 by Tom Ford, Hamish Bowles among others.
www.aminakawilmont.com

Jean- Pierre Braganza

The London born designer, Jean- Pierre Braganza, gave Milan a try this past season as he tried his hand at the Milano Catwalk. His “Totempryream” collection featured mostly a female rundown with a few men’s pieces, but the collection was a seamless array of well tailored, well developed clothing. Braganza designs are based on his obsession with the human form & mix intelligently cuts patterns that skin the body with ornate & often unexpected detailing to create unique garments that are timeless. Braganza honed his tailoring his skills under the direction of architectural designer, Roland Mouret, where he learned an appreciation for detail. This knowledge was is obvious in his construction pants, jackets, & dresses.
www.jeanpierrebraganza.com

Meadham Kirchhoff

To do deconstruction well, one has to be an above average constructionist. The design duo of Edward Meadham & Benjamin Kirchhoff didn’t do it well, they did it exceptionally well. Their Fall ’09 collection was a study in deconstruction the likes of which is normally seen only at the hands of the masterful Rei Kawakubo. The defining difference in the Meadham Kirchhoff take on the theme is that these clothes are each wearable on the face & not an exercise in costume that some collection of this ilk are. Standouts were the white shirt that consisted of two layers, the inner being a super sheer cotton organza & the outer being a white cotton poplin that was literally shredded like peeling wallpaper, with only the collar & cuffs being wholly intact & a black wool peeked lapel coat that was then cut & paired down to just the essentials, being a garment that just meets at the center front allowing no overlap for buttoning. There was also a heavily bullion embroidered jacket that was so over embroidered that it looked like golden moss covering the body in bulbous masses… brilliant. The same overly embroidered bullion treatment was used to haphazardly cover the design duo’s new collection of shoes done in partnership with Manolo Blahnik. This collection is certainly one to see & when you do, it won’t take long to realize just why they are deserving of the support from the British award organizations Fashion East & the British Fashion Council New Generation Awards.
www.meadhamkirchhoff.com

Hannah Marshall

Black is what’s “In” with Hannah Marshall. Take one look at the talented 26-year-old & it is obvious she designs for what she loves. In her fourth season Marshall gives The Little Black Dress an edge with her clever silhouettes & her intricate detailing. Her designs embody edgy punk while maintaining femininity & elegance. Sharp, refined pieces are delivered with meticulous cut & architectural lines in indulgent & often contrasting fabrics. The collection features body conscious, dynamic & volumous silhouettes with details including leathers, sting ray, & Braille.
www.hannahmarshall.com

 

Richard Nicoll

Richard Nicoll’s collection on the cursory view looked like a rack of the muslins for his actual collection. Closer inspection revealed that the muslin comparisons were in color only, as this entire range was base clothed in a muslin colored (aka natural) canvas. Mr. Nicoll then added panels on top in Gold Pane velvet to create the illusion of very glamorous armor. He applied this treatment to pants, jackets, skirts & coats to a great degree of success. The other half the collection was dominated by one print, a sparse floral in lavender, gold & black that was digitally printed onto cotton poplins, silk chiffons, silk charmeuse & gazar. The print, taken by a friend of the designer, appeared at times whole & at other times cut apart & scattered about. This grouping also employed the use of sheer overlays & even clear plastic as outerwear garments. Richard Nicoll too has a serious list of honors & awards to his credit as well. Once again, seems the British Fashion Councils have gotten it right.
www.richardnicoll.com

Felder Felder

Two heads are better than one & when you are German twin sisters Annette & Daniela Felder who are visual forces standing in a stature of at least 6 feet- you are destined to be noticed. The sister’s design a theme of contrasts in their collections by combining structured silhouettes with soft layering; which yields an end result of successful wearable womenswear. The collection embraces the feminine form with body hugging designs & hip enhancing construction with a splash of attitude. Clothing ranges from a constructed black coat that breaks off into Mongolian lamb to a soft lilac chiffon dress with rouging all over. A real rock meets sweet collection- chockfull of Felder Felder details of leather, snake skin, & studs.
The design duo has been nominated as the best emerging designer for the British Fashion Awards 2008 & are ones to watch for coming seasons.
www.felderfelder.com

Natascha Stolle

Natascha Stolle’s collection is a study in tailored clothing with a twist from here & a twist from there, obviously due to her eclectic background which includes Hawaii & Virginia’s Appalachian Mountains. The collection was novel in its approach to fabrication & silhouette & each piece had its own definitive message. The pieces that left the most indelible impression were the kid skin gloves that had built in leather covered bangle bracelets, some fully enveloped into the cuff of the glove & others sort of coming unattached to various degrees like they were sort of sloughing off like a snake sheds its skin. Very unusual & incredibly saleable.
www.nataschastolle.com

Louise Gray

The Louise Gray collection was being shown in only its first season & the collection looked as such. It was a collection still looking for that “je ne sais quoi”. When questioned, Ms. Gray didn’t clarify her collection’s identity with any degree of authority. When I mentioned that Patricia Field would like the pieces & she sort of lit up, declaring her love of Ms. Field’s work. The pieces were very young & exuded youthful experimentation, but I suspect the prices will no doubt price her out of the youth market on these shores where the young want to buy a new outfit for every night’s exploits. This collection does show some promise & if Ms. Gray can ramp up the personality of the collection to embody something definable, I for one can see her taking up a position somewhere between an edgy Moschino & an accessible W.&L.T.
www.louisegraylondon.com

Peter Pilotto

The design duo of Peter Pilotto & Christopher De Vos, who oddly design under the label “Peter Pilotto”, showed a collection awash in pattern & texture. Silhouettes were architectural & artful, but were mostly overpowered by the prints of the fabrics, which were overly heavy in color & detail. The prints looked like microscopic or perhaps kaleidoscopic patterns of crystals in dark blues, greens & red — the latter looked more akin to volcanic lava than not. There was a jacket that was tufted with raw edged strips of silk chiffon in all the colors of the red color way of the print & the effect was one of pyrotechnic proportions. It genuinely resembled a flaming bolero. For now, Peter Pilotto seems temporarily stalled in a state of shallowness, not in thought, but in variety. There is definitely something going on here, however, & it seems that the duo is really close to having that breakout moment that most fine collections must in order to achieve widespread success.
www.peterpilotto.com

-Scott French & Meredith Garcia